Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday said Democratic leaders’ unenthusiastic response to the White House’s latest coronavirus relief offer was “bizarre and schizophrenic.”
Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, accused Democrats of derailing or trying to roadblock a coronavirus deal for months.
“The American people are hurting. We’re in the thick of one of the worst national crises in modern memory. And people’s eyes are fixed on Congress. They need the House and the Senate to stop chasing our tails and make law,” he said. “In a bizarre and schizophrenic press release, the Speaker and the Leader said the Administration was ’obstruct[ing]’ negotiations … by negotiating.”
“Can anyone point to a single sign, from April through now, that Democratic leaders have seriously wanted another bipartisan deal to become law?” Mr. McConnell said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said the $916 billion offer from the Trump administration showed progress but wanted to hold out for the ongoing bipartisan proposal. They objected to the cuts the newest offer made to unemployment benefits and said it made the deal “unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic negotiators are still stuck on how to best wrangle a deal on funding for state and local governments as well as liability protections for schools and businesses — two issues that have been at the core of every collapsed deal since the summer months.
The $916 billion would cover both issues, as well as provide a $600 direct payment to individuals. Meanwhile, the $908 framework allotted $160 billion for state and local governments, along with short-term protections for businesses against coronavirus-related lawsuits — but it did not have those direct payments.
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